FLORIDA SCHOOL CHOICE RESOURCE CENTER STAFF ATTENDS VPSC DIRECTORS’ CONFERENCE
Dr. Patricia Grimsley
Staff and consultants of the Florida School Choice Resource Center (FSCRC) attended the Second Annual Voluntary Public School Choice (VPSC) Directors Conference in Minneapolis, Minnesota, September 25-27, 2006. Rose Raynak, Florida Department of Education Director, Grants Management and School Choice, members of the FSCRC team, Katy Twist, Venches Papillon, Dr. Patricia Grimsley , and Susan Kiaralla Director of Volunteer Services presented the Florida report along with Kelly Daniels, Director of School Choice, Palm Beach County, Florida and Kathy Israelson, Bay County, Florida, Choice Director. Dr. Grimsley presented portions of the Equity and Diversity Report at the luncheon as a part of the Project Evaluation Panel.
The three days of the conference were informative, interesting, and exhilarating. The thirteen grantees reported on their significant progress, unanticipated outcomes, challenges, lessons learned, evaluation outcomes, and promising practices. While each group is unique in how it serves students in its respective area of the country, one fact was evident, ensuring equity and diversity in school choice present challenges to all. Some common themes emerged from the presentations -- transportation, housing patterns, lack of diversity in the area, and meeting No Child Left Behind (NCLB)/Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) requirements are challenging responsibilities.
A representative from COSMOS Corporation, the company charged with evaluating the project, presented the intricacies involved in trying to fit all districts into one mold. Because each grantee reports the data differently, it is hard to make comparisons. Another area of concern is measuring if the VPSC program was the reason for the increase in student achievement because so many programs are operating simultaneously in the school and all impact student achievement.
Conference attendees toured the Minneapolis Public Schools Student Placement Center, a one stop shop for parents. There are two centers in the city, one in North Minneapolis and the other in South Minneapolis. Because every family must make a school choice in Minneapolis, these offices are vital. Every child receives his/her school placement whether he/she attends a city school or a school in the suburbs of Minneapolis from one of these sites. The centers are in the neighborhood and provide many services to families.
Representatives from WestEd informed the group that the Building Choice.Org website is again available. Their interactive presentation demonstrated the usefulness of the site as well as gave conference attendees an opportunity to provide feedback to WestEd about the site. The site will be updated and all was pleased to hear that the site will more than likely have a permanent home on the Internet.
Overall, the group networked, shared, and learned during the conference. The FSCRC team is looking forward to the Third Annual VPSC Directors Conference in Desert Sands, California, March 14-16, 2007.